johnny499
Elite Explorer
- Joined
- February 6, 2007
- Messages
- 250
- Reaction score
- 47
- City, State
- brooklyn park,mn
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 98 Mountaineer 5.0 SAS
- Callsign
- W3JF
Hi There.
I have followed many threads on the forum over the years and never really had much to contribute. I have been without a ranger for a daily driver for about six months for the first time since I was 18 years old. I didn't think I would miss it but I very much did. So I went on the hunt for a supercab ranger that I could do a SAS on and 33" tires. I almost bought a roached but not all rusted 93' but every body panel was dented and the tranny was bad. So I passed on that one. I was talking to my buddy about looking in his area when he asked why not look at explorers also because I already have a full size truck for hauling and towing. I included those in my search, after looking for a good deal on those it hit me to look at mountaineers and aviators for a plusher, more optioned ride. After a couple weeks of watching for a good deal I came across a 98' mountaineer with a V8 and an overheating issue. :biggthump
I went and looked at it as soon as I could and picked it up for $600, filled it with antifreeze and drove it two miles home.
I found the anti freeze leak the following night.
Some people should not work on cars apparently.....
So with plenty of antifreeze, a new thermostat, gasket, upper hose and bypass hose I had less than $50 in fixing the over heating problem. Well almost a few days later I noticed that the over flow tank level was not changing and the radiator was loosing just a little every time I checked it. I figured the radiator cap may be bad and I figured I would check the overflow tank passages. It turned out the hose was plugged, a little blow gun action fixed that.
Now for the planned upgrades.
High pinion d44 narrowed SAS.
Modified radius arms with rebuildable joints.
High steer conversion if necessary.
First gen Steering gear or beefier.
SOA modification to rear.
4.56 gears
Locker/posi front and rear.
Selectable 4wd transfer case(model yet to be determined)
Custom drive shafts
33" tires (model to be determined)
Shocks
Retain ABS for the road, I have to dig up my bronco hubs to compare the tone rings for the front axle to see if it's possible.
High flow exhaust.
Cold air box and intake tube.
My most recent project is the tow rig in my sig. Check it out if your curious about my ability.
That's the basic list for now.
I have followed many threads on the forum over the years and never really had much to contribute. I have been without a ranger for a daily driver for about six months for the first time since I was 18 years old. I didn't think I would miss it but I very much did. So I went on the hunt for a supercab ranger that I could do a SAS on and 33" tires. I almost bought a roached but not all rusted 93' but every body panel was dented and the tranny was bad. So I passed on that one. I was talking to my buddy about looking in his area when he asked why not look at explorers also because I already have a full size truck for hauling and towing. I included those in my search, after looking for a good deal on those it hit me to look at mountaineers and aviators for a plusher, more optioned ride. After a couple weeks of watching for a good deal I came across a 98' mountaineer with a V8 and an overheating issue. :biggthump
I went and looked at it as soon as I could and picked it up for $600, filled it with antifreeze and drove it two miles home.
I found the anti freeze leak the following night.
Some people should not work on cars apparently.....
So with plenty of antifreeze, a new thermostat, gasket, upper hose and bypass hose I had less than $50 in fixing the over heating problem. Well almost a few days later I noticed that the over flow tank level was not changing and the radiator was loosing just a little every time I checked it. I figured the radiator cap may be bad and I figured I would check the overflow tank passages. It turned out the hose was plugged, a little blow gun action fixed that.
Now for the planned upgrades.
High pinion d44 narrowed SAS.
Modified radius arms with rebuildable joints.
High steer conversion if necessary.
First gen Steering gear or beefier.
SOA modification to rear.
4.56 gears
Locker/posi front and rear.
Selectable 4wd transfer case(model yet to be determined)
Custom drive shafts
33" tires (model to be determined)
Shocks
Retain ABS for the road, I have to dig up my bronco hubs to compare the tone rings for the front axle to see if it's possible.
High flow exhaust.
Cold air box and intake tube.
My most recent project is the tow rig in my sig. Check it out if your curious about my ability.
That's the basic list for now.